Inside the royal palace, the meeting room was now quiet.
Alex and Charlotte were the only ones left. The heavy doors had closed behind the others, leaving just the faint ticking of a wall clock and the soft rustle of Charlotte's breathing.
Alex stood in front of her chair, fingers lightly brushing the tips of her hair—where snowy white strands had begun to turn an ominous purple.
He met her eyes. "Are you disappointed in me?"
Charlotte blinked, caught off guard. "What do you mean by that…?"
"I mean exactly what I said," Alex replied. "Are you disappointed in me?"
Charlotte shook her head. "No. I'm not."
"Don't you hate me?" he asked.
Her voice rose a notch. "No, I don't."
"You do, don't you?"
Even louder this time. "No, I don't."
"You want to kill me, right?"
Charlotte suddenly yelled, "No, I don't!"
Alex's own voice snapped as he grabbed her shoulders. "Yes you do, Now tell me the truth!"
Charlotte's control shattered. "I don't know!" she screamed.
